Government agrees on jail terms for tech bosses
Rebellious MPs force U-turn
The Government has agreed to introduce changes to the Online Safety Bill that would result in two-year prison for tech leaders who fail to safeguard children online.
The decision comes after Labour expressed support for a rebel amendment to the Online Safety Bill, putting Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in danger of losing a Commons vote on Tuesday.
The rebels demanded that the Government revise the bill to include prison sentences for tech bosses who fail to appropriately protect children online.
As many as 50 Conservative MPs supported the amendment, giving it the necessary number to overturn the Government's 67-vote working majority.
Now that ministers have agreed to make changes to the bill, the rebels have withdrawn their amendment.
Michelle Donelan, the Culture Secretary, reached an agreement with Tory rebel leaders including Sir William Cash, Miriam Cates and Home Secretary Priti Patel to save the Government from a humiliating defeat.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has caved in to rebellious backbenchers on three separate instances since assuming office in October. Last year, the Government had to agree to give concessions on the issues of housing objectives for councils and limits on onshore wind farms.
A government source said Donelan was "pleased that colleagues will no longer be pushing their amendments to a vote following constructive conversation and work."
Under the new proposed changes, senior executives of websites that contain user-generated content, such as social networks, would be held personally criminally accountable for repeated breaches of their duty of care to minors. They could face a maximum prison sentence of two years.
Executives who disobey enforcement notices from communications regulator Ofcom are likely to come under fire from the Government.
In addition, companies that violate the Online Safety Bill face penalties of up to 10% of their global revenue.
Social platforms are expected to protect children from harmful content through measures including age verification, parental controls and content removal.
Executives who act in good faith to comply with their obligations in a proportional way will not be prosecuted.
A consultation conducted before the introduction of the Online Safety Bill had concluded that making managers accountable for a breach of broader safety duties in the bill could make the UK IT industry less appealing.
However, proponents of the amendment, notably child protection organisations, contend that only personal liability for company executives would guarantee the effectiveness of child safety laws.
Tory rebels point to the financial services and construction sectors as having comparable personal liabilities for company managers.
The Online Safety Bill was first presented in March 2021 under Boris Johnson's premiership, and has undergone several changes as it has moved through Parliament.
The Government's latest amendment has not yet been made public.
Sir Bill Cash told the BBC that the deal with the ministers was a "huge step forward", adding that top managers in the industry "would not want to run the risk of going to prison."
Lucy Powell, the shadow culture minister, said Ofcom needed "sufficient teeth that Silicon Valley bosses would sit up and take notice".